Perspective
by Luna Darkside
Summary: Shinichi and Kaito's relationship, as perceived by their friends and family. /ShinKai & KaiShin from nine perspectives, oneshot, complete/


_Uh... yeah, I'm not too sure about this. I attempted cute and fluffy, I guess?_

_As far as warnings go, teeth-rotting sappiness, shounen-ai, and messed up tenses (I originally wrote it in past tense and then tried to switch it to present tense cuz I thought it would flow better but that didn't really work so uhhhh) would probably cover everything. At least, I think it would._

_Well... enjoy? - Luna_

**Perspective**

Ran is the first to suspect something.

She leans her face on her hand, at a slight loss, as Shinichi swats (flirtatiously) at Kaito, who smirks (flirtatiously) back, and they're both grinning so (flirtatiously) wide she's surprised their faces haven't broken.

They're sitting in Poirot, and this is _supposed _to be Kaito and Ran's first meeting, but somehow, Shinichi and Kaito got on the topic of how much sugar in coffee is too much sugar, and then Ran apparently ceased to exist as they launched into a debate.

Ran hums under her breath as she watches them "argue" (quotations necessary – their "arguing" is more romantic than a candlelit dinner, if you ask her) across the table. Even if Ran scours her memory down to her first time meeting Shinichi at age two, she can't recall a time that Shinichi's looked this alive, this red-cheeked and wide-smiled.

And while she hasn't known Kaito longer than the sixth months Shinichi has, she's got this feeling – call it a woman's intuition – that there's nothing fake about the way Kaito keeps stealing these appreciative little glances at Shinichi as if Shinichi's some piece of fine art. Or, at the very least, as if he's the most beautiful thing in the room and Kaito can't see anything else.

A tiny sigh escapes her as Kaito somehow manages to dump half a cup of sugar into Shinichi's coffee mug and Shinichi dissolves into indignant squawks. It's nostalgic, almost, to see their interaction – it feels as if Ran's younger brother is finally growing up and getting his first significant other.

It's also really cute, Ran decides, as Kaito laughs at Shinichi's irritated expression and produces a brilliant red rose out of nowhere to give him, and Shinichi's cheeks are suddenly painted crimson and he's choking on his words.

"You have my blessing," she says aloud, and Kaito and Shinichi both blink at her.

"What?" they chorus in unison.

Ran giggles and leans back in her chair. "Oh, it's nothing."

She wonders if they'll let her plan their wedding. She's thinking mid-June – Shinichi has more of a spring complexion, after all. And peonies and lilacs are especially nice.

Shinichi and Kaito share a look of _what is she talking about _as she beams sunnily at them, already picturing the chapel.

* * *

Hattori is the first to know for sure.

(Unfortunately for him.)

He's not sure who's most embarrassed – Kudou, who's not exactly wearing pants, the other guy on the bed, who's not exactly wearing anything, or him, who's frozen with one hand on the doorknob and making silent pledges to _always knock _in the future.

Judging from the way Kudou and the guy just look incredibly annoyed, Hattori figures it's probably him.

There is a moment of silence. Someone whimpers pitifully. It takes Hattori a moment to realize it's him.

"Um," he finally croaks, breaking the silence as he takes a jerky, mechanical step backwards. "That – I'm –" He silently wonders if it's possible to procure brain bleach in real life. Or maybe he can just bang his head against the nearest brick wall and hope for selective amnesia.

Kudou sits back on his haunches, glaring at Hattori. The other guy is doing the same, as if it's Hattori's fault that he had to walk in on – on _this_. "Could you _knock_? Or is good manners just a Tokyo thing?"

If Hattori could string more than seven words together, he would launch into a rant over the insult to Osaka (because Osaka is the _best_, and everyone knows that), but all he can manage to get out is a numb, "I… thought you were doing weight training?"

It's at that moment that he realizes that the sounds he assumed to be barbells hitting the floor were probably the headboard banging into the wall. And the groaning – that was…

Hattori feels the blood drain from his face.

The other guy on the bed snickers, drawing both Kudou and Hattori's attention to him. "No, just flexibility exercises," he smirks. "Did you know that Shinichi can get his knees all the way past his ears?"

In retrospect, Hattori thinks as he hits the ground and his vision starts to blur, it doesn't quite make sense that Kudou would be doing weight training in his bedroom with the door closed.

Eyebrows climbing up his forehead, Shinichi leans over the edge of the bed to look quizzically at where his best friend is passed out in the doorway. "I think you may have killed Hattori."

* * *

Sonoko doesn't know what to think, at first.

"Ran," she hisses at where her best friend is sitting serenely beside her, working her way through a parfait the size of the Eiffel Tower and completely ignoring the fact that _Shinichi is being spoon-fed by a random man _across from them, "what is going _on_?"

"Hm?" Ran dabs at her mouth with a napkin before turning to look curiously at Sonoko. "What do you mean, 'what is going on'? Kuroba-kun is just trying to share his chocolate ice cream with Shinichi." She gives her typical smile. "Isn't it cute?"

"Uh… cute?" Eye twitching uncontrollably, Sonoko casts a glance over at where "Kuroba-kun" appears to be trying to decapitate Shinichi with a spoon while cackling, "Try it, try it!" and Shinichi appears to be trying to stab "Kuroba-kun" in the face with his fork while half-shouting, "Keep your chocolate away from me, dammit!"

Shinichi's fork never gets too close to "Kuroba-kun's" eyes, though, and "Kuroba-kun" is grinning like a madman, so she's not _entirely _concerned, but at the same time… "Are you really… I don't know, _okay _with this?"

Frowning, Ran slants her head at Sonoko with bemusement. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?"

Sonoko hesitates, because while it's been a long, long time since then, she's always – well, she's always thought, in the far, far back of her mind, that Shinichi would always end up with Ran. They'd always been a constant in her life – Shinichi and Ran, the couple that was married in all but name – and now she's finding that Shinichi doesn't even swing that way. It's disconcerting, almost as if her world is overturning completely, and she doesn't understand why Ran doesn't seem to feel the tremors.

Ran seems to pick up on what she means, though, because Sonoko doesn't have to say any more before she pats Sonoko softly on the shoulder. "I don't like Shinichi that way anymore, Sonoko. We've talked about that. And…" She trails off for a moment before giving a sudden, unexpected smile. "I'm pretty sure he only has eyes for Kuroba-kun now, anyway."

Blinking, Sonoko peers back over at Shinichi and Kuroba – and yes, Ran's right, she can see it now – the way Shinichi's gaze is never half a second from Kuroba's face, and the shallow, halfway imperceptible curve to his lips never seems to disappear completely.

"I… guess that's true," Sonoko finally sighs, as Shinichi accidentally drops his fork and Kuroba manages to stuff his spoon into Shinichi's mouth – "Victory is mine!" "_Mmpgh_!" – "I suppose... I suppose I can see it."

"Really?" Ran beams at her for a moment longer before returning to her parfait.

Sonoko watches Shinichi and Kuroba for a moment longer – Shinichi has recovered his fork and is now poking Kuroba in the neck with it – and goes back to her slice of strawberry shortcake.

Well, at the very least, guy-on-guy is pretty hot.

* * *

Haibara isn't surprised. At all.

It's probably because when Kudou was still Edogawa Conan, he had a hard time shutting up about the Kaitou Kid, and thus Haibara assumed he had a thing for magicians, but she doesn't even blink when Kudou tries to introduce his new magician significant other to her.

Her expression doesn't change as Kudou fumbles through his explanations, stumbling over "We met at a heist" and "Wait, uh, I mean, this is Kuroba Kaito" and "He's an amateur magician, did I mention that" with the grace of a dancing hippopotamus while Kuroba Kaito stands awkwardly at his side.

She appreciates the thought – really, she does, she thinks as she watches with well-concealed amusement. It's endearing, the way Kudou is lit up like a Christmas tree, cheeks a mosaic of pinks and reds and eyes glittery with embarrassed excitement. Kuroba keeps shuffling closer to him, bit by bit, trying to provide some kind of support as Kudou monumentally fails at giving any sort of coherent introduction.

And to be honest, Haibara actually feels _honored_, almost, that Kudou would actually bother to do this – come over to the professor's place with his new lover in tow to introduce him to her, that is. Haibara thinks it's very cute and old-fashioned of Kudou to want to present Kuroba to her as if she's his mother. She's touched that he actually cares.

But she'll never admit that, of course (she's got a reputation to maintain, you know), so once Kudou finishes his rambling, chewing on his bottom lip with the world's most uncomfortable look on his face, Haibara smirks sardonically and says, "What a nice story. Well, I hope you two are using protection."

The ensuing screech of horror is quite worth it, Haibara decides, and turns back to her homework.

* * *

Aoko really doesn't know how to react to this.

Far across Kaito's living room, _the guy _is drawing lazy circles on Kaito's leg as they sit on Kaito's worn couch. The party – one for Aoko's birthday that Kaito insisted on organizing and hosting – is winding down. She's the only one left in the room – Ran, _the guy's _friend, is in the bathroom, she thinks, and Saguru is in the kitchen.

Kaito and Kudou didn't really do anything during the party – well, other than a flushed Kaito introducing Kudou as his lover – other than hold hands and maybe exchange fourteen too many looks, but now, they're not holding back with the couple displays.

And Aoko doesn't quite know how to feel as _the guy_ – okay, fine, Kudou Shinichi – gently pulls a hand through Kaito's hair and beams when Kaito fondly rolls his eyes. Not because she still harbors feelings for Kaito – God forbid – but because this is _Kaito_, the one she grew up with, the one who gives her flowers every time she cries and has been there every second of her life. The one who's seen her without makeup and the one whom she can comfortably call an idiot and receive a singsong "No, I'm pretty sure _you're_ the idiot, Aoko," in response no matter the setting.

He's her _best friend_.

So Aoko can't help that she can't seem to detach her teeth from where they're clamped on her bottom lip, or how tightly her fingers are knit together as she watches them. A surge of protective instincts swells in her chest when Kudou actually leans over to kiss Kaito. Obviously nothing R-rated, just a quick brush of lips, but Aoko still has to sit down and hold her face in her hands. This is just too surreal – how in the world can Kudou even _begin _to make her precious, beloved best friend happy?

With an inward flinch, Aoko forces herself to sneak a last glance at them, just to solidify that she is very much against their relationship.

But then suddenly she _isn't_ – she can't find her discomfort anymore, she can't remember why she didn't approve. The frown on her face uncurls, her hands loosen, her lip slides out from between her teeth.

Because the way Kaito is looking at Kudou (his gaze soft and warm, as if he's seeing for the first time) and the way Kudou is looking back (the tiniest half-smile on his mouth, a flush like fairy dust on his cheeks) are just too alive, too _happy _for her not to want Kudou to keep doing whatever he's doing for Kaito.

A hand settles on her shoulder, and Aoko starts, jerking her head upwards to see Saguru raising his eyebrows down at her.

"Ready to go?" her boyfriend asks.

Aoko stares for a second, and then she smiles and nods. "Yes. Let's go."

* * *

Hakuba wonders where Kudou's sanity went.

He leans against the wall of the museum, stony gaze focused across the hall. Kudou is smirking brilliantly at Kuroba, who appears to be pantomiming fly fishing. They appear to be having a very, very good time.

Checking his watch, Hakuba discovers that there's three minutes on the clock until Kid is supposed to show up.

The blond detective sighs and shakes his sleeve back down his arm. Honestly, he thinks disdainfully, he thought Kudou had a bit more sense than that. Isn't it clear to him that Kuroba is Kid? And doesn't he share Hakuba's goal of capturing Kid and putting him behind bars? And doesn't he realize that, generally speaking, relationships are more difficult when half of it is in prison?

Which means that Kudou has fallen so hard that he's willing to overlook that he's dating a criminal, Hakuba concludes. A disturbing thought – he'd always hoped that his fellow Sherlockian would have a little more sense than that. He's starting to lose faith in the Great Detective of the East.

But then again, Hakuba grudgingly admits to himself as the lights go out and Kid is suddenly and impossibly standing on top of the display case with a brilliant smile and the target gem in his hand, Kuroba _does _have his good points, so he can kind of understand.

* * *

Yukiko could not be more thrilled.

She's so thrilled, in fact, that she actually gives an audible squeal, right there in the middle of Yuusaku's book award ceremony – wait, what was this one, again? The Edogawa Rampo Award? The Honkaku Mystery Grand Prize? Whatever, Yuusaku gets a ton of these every year, anyway.

An army of balding heads (excluding her husband's, of course; he's still in possession of a full head of hair) turn to stare at where she's clutching her phone to her chest. There's a general murmur of irritation, probably something along the lines of _Who brought the squawking woman?_, but Yukiko is having a difficult time caring.

Because, according to the email she just received, Shin-chan found Kai-chan! Chikage-chan's Kai-chan! And they're _dating_! And the picture he attached is absolutely _darling_!

Whirling to where Yuusaku is gazing at her with mild concern, Yukiko beams, thrusting her cell phone in his direction. "Look!" she says, blissfully oblivious to how loud her voice is. "Read it, it's from Shin-chan!"

Yuusaku glances around their banquet table, his eyes apologetic (Yukiko scoffs – as if he actually cares about all these book critics and editors' opinions of him) and unlocks Yukiko's phone. He begins to read, expression painstakingly neutral. The screen's glow reflects off his glasses, making it hard for Yukiko to read the look in his eyes.

But she doesn't have to – the sudden curve of his lips is enough indication.

* * *

Yuusaku is slightly less enthusiastic than his wife. But only slightly.

He doesn't show it – not like Yukiko, at least, who's so excited she's nearly vibrating in place – but he's undeniably proud of his son.

His voice is inscrutable as he continues on with his somber award acceptance speech – "I am honored to receive this award from such a prestigious board of judges" – but inside, he can't stop smiling.

Because Shinichi has finally found the happiness he's been seeking out ever since he reclaimed his body, and while Yuusaku gives him trouble with cases sometimes and teases him relentlessly, it's all because he cares. It's all because he wants the best for his son.

The best is clearly Kaito.

And Yuusaku likes to think that somewhere out there, Toichi is thinking the same thing of Shinichi.

"Once again, I would like to thank the Honkaku Mystery Writers Club for this award, and I hope to continue writing in the future. Thank you." Yuusaku bows and turns to the side, preparing to shake the president of the club's hand and leave the stage.

He pauses, though, when he realizes that everyone in the banquet hall is staring at him blank-faced.

The club president coughs to break the silence, leaning in towards him with a very artificial smile that doesn't get anywhere near his eyes. "Uh, Kudou-san? This is the Edogawa Rampo Award. Not the Honkaku Mystery Grand Prize."

Yuusaku blinks while, back at the banquet table, Yukiko appears to no longer be breathing due to how hard she's laughing.

Oh.

Maybe he's a bit more excited than he thought.

* * *

Chikage smiles.

She doesn't know what else to do, not when her son and his lover are having a very vocal discussion on which are better, detectives or phantom thieves. Shinichi, unsurprisingly, is for the detective side, and Kaito, unsurprisingly, is for the phantom thief side. Kaito has already broken a glass over Shinichi's head, and Shinichi has already threatened to castrate Kaito. Multiple times.

But they're both shining _so_ brightly, and they're both looking at each other with more than enough love to flood oceans, so Chikage doesn't comment. She just sits and smiles and drinks her tea and thinks that Toichi would love to see this and that _she _loves to see this.

She does, however, chip in with, "I agree with Kaito – phantom thieves are much better looking," and receives a scandalized glare from Shinichi and a triumphant grin from Kaito.

* * *

**You know, now that I've written this, I'm wondering why I didn't put in the Detective Boys or the police officers or Akako. Yeah... no, I'm too lazy to write them in.**

**Anyway, the writer's block isn't really letting up, but I'll try to struggle through it. Ugh.**

** Hope you enjoyed (if you did, considering dropping me a review...?) and I'll see you soon! Stay gorgeous! - Luna**


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